The South American capital home to the National Library of Chile is Santiago, Chile.
Chile’s Biblioteca Nacional is located on Avenida Libertador General Bernardo O’Higgins in central Santiago. The present neoclassical building was completed in 1925 and stands near Santa Lucía Hill and the Santa Lucía Metro station. It shares the building with the National Archive of Chile.
The institution’s history goes back to 1813, when the newly formed Republic of Chile published a proclamation calling on citizens to donate books for a public library. Bernardo O’Higgins appointed Manuel de Salas as its first director, and the library later became autonomous from the University of Chile in 1852.
The library preserves major national treasures, including Chile’s first newspaper, Aurora de Chile, along with manuscripts and collections associated with figures such as Andrés Bello, Benjamín Vicuña Mackenna, and José Toribio Medina. It is distinct from the Biblioteca de Santiago, another library in the capital.